Railway-car brake.



N. B. AYRES.

RAILWAY CAR BRAKE.

APPLICATION FILED 0017. 1915.

Patented Dec. 12, 1916.

2 $HEETSSHEET I.

N. B. AYRES.

RAILWAY CAR BRAKE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 7, 1915.

1,208,705 Patented De0.12,1916.

'NVENTOR Q I m 3 I ATTORNEY RAILWAY-CAR BRAKE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 112, 1916.

Application filed October 7, 1915. Serial-No. 54,633.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, NAPOLEON B. AYnEs, a citizen of the United States, residin at Sapulpa, in the county of Greek and gtate of Oklahoma, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway Car Brakes, of which the following is a specification. v

This invention relates to railway car brakes, the primary object being to provide a brake-shoe which coacts with the rails for retarding movement of the rolling stock, but which will not interfere in any way with the locomotion of the rolling stock, under normal conditions.

Another object is to provide a brake which is applied from the rolling stock, and which is automatically retracted to a point above the rail, as soon as pressure is released from the brake-shoe.

Other objects as well as the nature, characteristic features and scope of my invention will be more readily understood from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the claim forming a part of this specificationx Referring to the drawings: Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a braking mechanism constructed in accordance with my invention, illustrating the application of the same, showing the brake disengaged from the rail, Fig. 2 is a similar view, showing the brake in an operative position, Fig. 3 is a detail enlarged fragmentary top plan view of the brake shoe, Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view of the brake shoe used in the present invention, a portion of the operating means therefor being shown in connection with the shoe, Fig. 5 is an end elevational View of one of the supporting brackets, and Fig. 6 is an elevational view of the supporting standards for the brake operating lever.

In the drawings, in order to illustrate the application of this invention, a portion of a rail 1 is shown, which has arranged in proximity thereto, a portion of a car frame 2, which may be of the usual or any desired configuration. Car wheels are shown in dotted lines, interposed between the rail 1 and frame 2, having my improved braking mechanism mounted therebetween. Brackets 3 are pendently carried by the frame 2, each of which in this instance is formed from a metallic strap, the opposite ends of which are fixedly engaged with the frame 2, while the portion intermediate said ends is looped for engagement with guide bars 4. It will be noted that one of the brackets 3 pends in a plane slightly beyond one of the car wheels, while the other bracket is in a plane slightly beyond the other car wheel, this affording ample space for accommodating the braking mechanism, without encumbering the rolling stock in any way.

A brake shoe is indicated in the drawings at 5, and in this instance is shown to be of a substantially semielliptical configuration, whereby only an intermediate portion of the shoe will contact with the head of the rail 1. It will be noted that the surface-engaging portion of said shoe is detachable from the body thereof, whereby said portion may be removed when rendered unsuitable for use, as by continuous wear, etc. It will likewise be noted that the opposite ends of the surface-engaging portion of said shoe form obtuse angles with the central portion for snug engagement with the opposite terminals of the body of the shoe, whereby casual displacement of said portion is reduced to a minimum. The shoe 5 is equipped, in proximity to its opposite terminals, with transversely extending supporting bars 6, each of which has a pair of rings 7 mounted therein, these being movably associated with the eyes 8 of supporting rods 9. The free end of each of the supporting rods 9 is screwthreaded as indicated at 10, for screwthreaded engagement with a nut 11, whereby said rods 9 may be adjusted at the option of the operator. Said rods 9 are slidably engaged through the guide members 1 and are automatically moved therethrough, when the brake-shoe 5 is operated in a vertical plane. The normal tendency is, however, to move the inner or lower ends of said rods in opposite directions in view of the elastic elements 12 which are encircled around the shanks of said rods 9. The elastic elements 12, in this instance comprise coil-springs, one end of each of which is engaged over one of the guides 4:, while the opposite end is engaged with its respective rod 9. Depending from a transverse beam in the frame 2, approximately midway said supporting standards 3, is a supporting standard 13, the lower end of which is bifurcated, as indicated at 14 and shown to advantage in Fig. 6. The said bifurcated end 14 is pivotally engaged with one of the arms of a bell-crank lever 15, said lever being pivotally mounted in the bifurcated end of a supporting frame 16.

of energy which is used for applying the' brake, and which has not been found necessary to illustrate in these drawings. Chains 20 are carried by the supporting frame 2 and are'in-connection with the brake-shoe 5 in order to limit the downward movement of the latter, and to prevent the shoe from being casually displaced, should any one of the rods 9 be rendered unsuitable for use.

. In operation therefore, we will assume that the brake-shoe is in an inoperative position, as shown in Fig. 1. In this instance the shoe is normally held appreciably above the head of the rail 1 by the coil springs 12. When it is desired to apply the brake-shoe, pressure is exerted upon the floating bar 19, this imparting movement to the bell-crank lever 15 so as to rock the same, consequently throwing the shoe 5 into snug engagement with the rail 1, as shown to advantage in Fig. 2. Just as soon as pressure has been released from the lever 19, the brake-shoe will, of course, be automatically disengaged from the rail 1.

It will be understood that the above description and accompanying drawings comprehend only the general and preferred embodiment of my invention and that various minor changes in details of construction, proportion and arrangement of parts may be made within the scope of the appended claim without sacrificing any of the advantages of my 1nvention.-

Having thus fullydescribed my invention,

\what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A railway car brake including a shoe, brackets pendently supported by the car frame, rods, one end of each of which is in connection with said shoe, the opposite end of each being slidably arranged through said bracket, means carried by said rods to force the inner ends thereof away from each other, to normally hold the shoe out of engagement with the rail, means to decrease the operative length of said rods, and means for actuating said shoe into engagement with the rail to retard movement of the car.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature Witnesses:

LEO S. BAYRELL, WM. C. OARRIGK. 

